Topline
The House of Representatives approved a $1.7 trillion bill to keep the federal government funded until September, sending the massive omnibus spending package to President Joe Biden’s desk hours before government funding was set to expire.
The House of Representatives passed a $1.7 trillion spending package on Friday, sending it to … [+]
Key Facts
The House voted 225-201, with all but one Democrat voting in favor and all but nine Republicans voting against the bill.
The Senate approved the bill in a 68-29 vote Thursday, with 18 Republicans joining all Democrats.
The bill keeps the federal government funded through September 30, and provides funding for the 2023 fiscal year.
It includes $772.5 billion for domestic programs and $858 billion in defense spending, as well as $45 billion in Ukraine-related emergency military and humanitarian aid.
It also includes $40 billion for natural disaster relief, $785 million for migrant services in sanctuary cities, and $5 billion for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund through the PACT Act, which expands health care benefits to U.S. military veterans.
The bill also includes a provision to reform the Electoral Count Act, updating an 1887 law and clarifying that the vice president’s role in certifying electoral votes is purely ceremonial, following the legally dubious case by former President Donald Trump’s attorneys that former Vice-President Mike Pence had the authority to interfere with the congressional certification of 2020 electoral votes.
It also includes a ban on social media platform TikTok on government devices, following multiple statewide initiatives to ban the app over national security concerns the Chinese company ByteDance—which owns TikTok—could use the platform to spy on Americans.
Chief Critic
House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), a prominent critic of the spending package, called it a “monstrosity” and “one of the most shameful acts I have ever seen in this body.” In a tweet before the congressional votes, McCarthy—who is vying to be the next speaker of the house when Republicans take control of the chamber next month—said if he becomes speaker, Democrat-led bills like the $1.7 trillion government spending package will be “dead on arrival in the House.”
What To Watch For
In a statement released after the House’s vote on Friday, Biden said he would sign the package into law “as soon as it reaches my desk,” calling it “good for our economy, our competitiveness, and our communities.”
Key Background
The federal government had been running on a so-called “continuing resolution”—a one-week stopgap measure that passed through Congress last week to give members of Congress more time to vote on a spending package before it entered its December recess.
Further Reading
House to vote on $1.7 trillion government spending bill as funding deadline looms (CNN)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/12/23/house-passes-17-trillion-spending-bill-to-avoid-government-shutdown/